Shredded BBQ...sweet potatoes?!?!?

I love BBQ but when we are not eating meat it can be a tough craving to satisfy. I try not to use a lot of the meat replacement products because they are so highly processed. I came across this idea a few weeks ago but when I first attempted it I cooked it in a skillet it stuck to the pan and made a huge mess. It absorbed so much oil as I tried fruitlessly to keep it from sticking. I loved the concept of sweet potatoes as a shredded meat replacement and truth be told I just LOVE sweet potatoes, so I decided to give it another shot.  Baking the shredded sweet potatoes in the oven with just a spray of oil on either a silpat or parchment paper worked great. Nothing stuck and I was free to prep the rest of dinner while they baked. We served our shredded BBQ Sweet Potato Sliders with Kale Slaw and a few red onion slices that I tossed in a bit of vinegar while everything cooked.
Serves 2 hungry adults

Ingredients:
2 small Sweet Potatoes

1/2 C BBQ sauce

Spray oil, I used spectrum organic grape seed oil
Buns for Serving

Preheat oven to 400. Grate both sweet potatoes on the large side of the grater. Spread out grated potatoes on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Spray with a little oil, bake for about 15 minutes, flip potatoes and spray with more oil. Bake another 15 minutes. While potatoes are baking heat BBQ sauce in a small sauce pan. Toss cooked sweet potato in BBQ sauce and serve on Buns. 

Tofu Bahn Yum-Mi

I have seen the Bahn Mi sandwiches popping up everywhere lately but had yet to try this sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy, delight. All I can say about this sandwich is YUM! It has it all! I know this recipe will be making a regular appearance on the menu. We decided to bake the tofu in this recipe because we were making Roasted Cauliflower with Bang Bang Sauce as a side but you could fry or grill the tofu if you wish. Most recipes call for a Sriracha Mayo on the Bahn Mi but my latest obsession is Trader Joes Green Dragon Sauce and it was the perfect compliment to the ingredients in this sandwich. 

Serves 4

15 oz Extra Firm Tofu

2 Tbs Soy Sauce

1 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp Garlic, granulated

1/2 tsp Ginger, powdered

1/3 C Rice Vinegar

1/4 C Sugar

1/2 Cucumber, thinly sliced

1 Bell Pepper, thinly sliced 

2 Carrots, grated

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced

1 Jalapeño, thinly sliced 

1/2 C Cilantro leaves

1/2 C Just Mayo or Veganaise (if vegan)

Sriracha or Trader Joes Green Dragon sauce, to taste

2 crusty baguettes, split and cut into 4" lengths

Slice tofu into 1/2 inch thick rectangles (about 8 slices). Place slices on a few paper towels, top with more paper towels and then a cutting board or sheet pan. Place something heavy on top, I use cookbooks or a gallon of water to help press out the moisture for about 30 minutes. In a shallow dish combine soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. When tofu has been pressed place the tofu in the dish coating each side. Let marinade at least 30 minutes or overnight, if you want to prepare it in advance. 

Next combine rice vinegar and sugar in a medium sized bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Then add in the grated carrots, sliced cucumber, bell pepper and onion. Let sit at least 30 minutes. (This mixture is good in the fridge for a week or more.)

Preheat oven to 400 and bake tofu for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Alternately tofu can be fried in a skillet over medium heat with a bit of oil for about 3 minutes per side. 

While tofu is cooking mix mayo with Sriracha or Green Dragon Sauce, use as much or as little as you like to add heat.

Drain marinade off veggies, set aside.

To build sandwiches spread a little of the mayo mixture on both sides of bread. Top one side with jalapeños, slice of tofu, vegetable mixture, and a sprinkle of cilantro and top with other half of bread. 

Grilled Vegetable Hogies

I love sandwiches and could easily eat one everyday. This is one of my favorite meals from our Vegan days. It's super quick and easy, you can grill you veggies a couple of days in advance. It's versatile because you can use almost anything you like, and it's a complete source of protein when you combine, hummus, veggies and bread!

Ingredients:

Hummus

1 roll per person

Any or all of the following vegetables to grill;

Onion, Bell Pepper, Portobello Mushroom, Zucchini, Asparagus, Yellow Squash, Eggplant.

Any or all veggies to top sandwich;

Avocado, Tomato, Sprouts, Spinach, Arugala, Lettuce.

Oil

Balsamic Vinegar 

Salt & Pepper

Preheat Grill to Low. Slice Vegetables into large pieces so they don't fall through grates. (Bell peppers get cut in half and seeds removed. Small Zucchinis cut in half lengthwise, large squash or eggplant get sliced into 1/4" thick slices ect). Place veggies on the grill for about 4 minutes then turn. Keep a very close eye on things, four minutes on my grill maybe  two minutes on yours. My parents grill only seems to have one setting, incinerate! You just quickly pass the veggies over their grill and it's done! You just want the veggies to be soft and have some nice grill marks. 

Here is a sampling of what we used this evening.

Once everything is nicely grilled slice everything into thin strips. Spread hummus onto both sides of bread and top with desired vegetables. Salt, pepper and a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar if desired.

Grown Up Grilled Cheese #1

We recently started carrying raw milk and cheese from Meadow Wayne Dairy at our store and they have been sampling all kinds of yummy cheese. With the weather turning cold and lots of cheese on hand I had to make grilled cheese. I always have to put my spin on things so here is one of my recipes for Grown Up Grilled Cheese.

Smoked Mozzarella with Apples and Almond Butter (Sounds crazy, tastes delectable)

Serves 1

2 Slices any whole grain bread

2 tbs natural unsalted almond butter

1/2 apple-sliced

2 oz (about) sliced smoked mozzarella cheese

Butter or Butter it Up Spray

In a small skillet over medium low heat cook apple until soft, set aside. Butter or spray outside of bread.Spread 1 tablespoon almond butter on inside of each piece of bread, top with cheese and then apple. 

Place both pieces if bread butter side down on skillet over medium low heat. Put lid in pan to help melt the cheese, set timer for 2 minutes. Put both halves of sandwich together and cook additional 2 minutes each side or until melted and nicely browned.